North face has a ton of rain coats for sale and it can be hard to tell the difference.

If you're trying to figure out the difference between the Venture and the Resolve I'll give you a full breakdown in this article and an easy to reference chart showing the differences. 

Here it is:

Venture

Resolve

Weight

300 grams

410 grams

Sleeve Cuffs

Velcro Adjustable

Elastic Bound

Materials

40D Nylon Riptstop

40D Polyester Body, 75D Polyester Sleeves & Hood

Layering

2.5 Layers (additional ventilation)

2 Layers

Stuff Sack

Yes, in pocket

No

Hood

2 cinch cords

1 cinch cord

If you don't have really specific preferences, the Venture is my recommendation. It weighs less and has better ventilation.

Besides those differences, the Venture and the Resolve are pretty similar. Let's take a look at each of the differences so you can figure out which one is best for you.

Weight

If you're looking for an ultralight rain jacket, the Venture is the clear winner over the Resolve.

The Venture weighs 300 grams (10.7 ounces) compared to the Resolve which weighs 410 grams (14.6 ounces).

Four ounces might not seem like much but it can add up. The Venture weighs 27% less than the Resolve and packs a ton of other features that are better than the Resolve.

Let's take a look at the other differences between these two rain jackets.

Layering

The worst thing about wearing a rain jacket is that it gets hot and humid inside.

This is another area where the Venture outshines the Resolve.

The Venture has a "2.5D layering system". 

But wtf is a 2.5D layering system?

The truth is, nobody really knows. North Face made it up and nobody else claims to have this 2.5D layering system.

But the good news is that the Venture does a really good job of venting your heat and humidity out of the jacket. It has arm pit zippers and does a nice job of keeping you cool.

Stuff Sack

The Resolve rain coat has no stuff sack. To store it in your pack you just cram it in there.

But the Venture packs down into the pocket and zips up, keeping your jacket nicely tucked away and compressed.

This helps you save space in your pack and makes it easier to find your jacket when you need it.

The stuff sack pocket isn't a huge deal but it's just one more feature of the Venture that tips the scales in it's favor.

Sleeve Cuffs

Rain coats pretty much have one job:

Keep the rain out.

And the two ways rain usually get into a rain coat are through the sleeves and through the hood.

The Venture uses velcro around the cuffs to let you tighten them and keep rain out.

The Resolve uses an elastic bound cuffs that tightens around your wrist.

Personally I prefer the velcro strips around the cuff. My Patagonia Nano Puff has elastic bound cuffs and they do a fine job but they just aren't as tight as what you can get with velcro.

Hood

The hood on the Venture has 2 cinch cords vs just 1 on the Resolve.

This makes the Venture better at preventing rain from getting down inside your jacket. 

The Resolve is OK; similar to most other rain jackets. But the Venture is easier to tighten and block rain out. It's the clear winner in this category.

Materials

The Venture uses 40D Nylon Ripstop and the Resolve uses a mix of 40D and 70D polyester.

The 70D material is thicker than 40D which makes the Resolve a little bulkier. This is why the Resolve weighs about 4 ounces more than the Venture.

But there's also an upside to 70D polyester. Despite the weight penalty, the extra thickness makes the Resolve a little bit sturdier and more tear resistant.

Overall I'd say this category is a draw. Sure the Venture is more lightweight and thinner, but it's also more prone to snagging on a thorn or stick. The Ripstop material helps prevent big tears but the 40D material is still vulnerable.

Everything Else

Outside of the differences I just covered, the Venture and Resolve are fairly similar. They look similar and fit about the same.

The most noticeable differences when you're actually wearing the jackets is the increased ventilation on the Venture and the pocket/stuff sack that makes it convenient to pack away.

If you're still on the fence, I'd recommend getting the Venture. The price is about the same as the Resolve but it's almost universally praised as being superior.